Wednesday, October 28, 2009

[Cookie 047] Surprise Cookies

Hallelujah my midterms are OVER! It might sound odd, but this was the first time in over a year that I've taken any form of an examination in college. But I guess that's what you get for being a studio art major and putting up with all the critiques and other art school forms of madness. Anyway, I had my first college test EVER in Logic--yeah, it's like that whole "if a=b, and b=c, then a=c" thing but harder, for the most part--and I studied my butt off and it actually felt kind of good. Nevermind how I actually faired with my results...the point is, I studied intensively with my friends and still made time to produce some midterm-worthy study snacks.

Okay, every day it's becoming more and more apparent that my life is this:

And I think I'm okay with that. The more I think of it, the more I realize that I really just want to open up a bakery/coffee shop/place that also sells things that I (hypothetically) make. It's times like when I make these Surprise Cookies that I think to myself: Hey, someone might buy something like this, and if you wrap it up all purdy and cutesy, maybe you could even make a little bit of profit! According to my now logically-honed mind, that sounds pretty logical, right? Cookies = delicious, delicious = buy me some, cookies = buy me some? Eh...perhaps.

Anyway, I'm sure you are here for the cookie recipe, not my musings on my uncertain future, so I'll cut to the chase. These are wild-wild (I think they say that in Texas, right Emily?). An intense chocolate cookie is one thing, and a toasted marshmallow is another, but when they collide and are fused together by a chocolate frosting, that's when you need to go out and buy another 6 gallons of milk.

When dark dark chocolate collides with white white sugar...

There was a point, however, when I thought that maybe the frosting made the cookies too intense to eat. Now, I rarely come to that conclusion, in part because I pride myself on my ability to eat nearly any type of cookie, and in part because I am of the belief that chocolate can do no wrong in any amount. But the frosting is quite sugary when first spooned on top of the marshmallow, and my friends and I weren't really diggin' it. But, loyal to the ways of The Book, I faithfully frosted the cookies, and I'm glad I did. After the frosting is 100% set, the cookie is not as sweet and they are far more edible and enjoyable. So if you can hold off for a short while, I advise doing so. You could always run to the supermarket and buy all that milk you'll need.

In conclusion, these cookies are delicious. And really fun to make. And really fun to eat. And really fun to whip up instead of studying about universal quantifiers. So if you are either 1) looking for a great cookie to make with/for kids, 2) looking for a great cookie to make for yourself, 3) looking for a great way to procrastinate on studying for midterms, or 4) hungry, you should make these! Soft, decadent, and adorable. I think I've logically proven my argument, no? No need to construct a truth-table or assign variables to schema--I know I'm right.

Surprise Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

12 large marshmallows, cut in half horizontally

For Frosting (makes 1 cup):

2 cups confectioners' sugar

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup milk

1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, milk, and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add reserved flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined.

Remove baking sheets from oven, and place a marshmallow, cut-side down, in the center of each cookie, pressing down slightly. Return to oven, and continue baking until marshmallows begins to melt, 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Spread about 1 tablespoon of frosting over each marshmallow, starting in the center and continuing outward until marshmallow is covered.

To Make Frosting: Place confectioners' sugar in a medium bowl. Whisk in butter and cocoa powder. Add milk and vanilla, and whisk until well combined.

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{End Results}Baking Difficultly: 3/5Ingredient Accessibility: 2.5/5Tastiness: 4/5 (I might not be the most child-friendly person, but I'm sure that these would be an especially big hit with the 12 and unders)Attractiveness: 4.5/5 (Seriously, look at them. Precious)Is it worth it?: Yes. And slicing the marshmallows and pressing them into the half-baked cookies is quite fun too.

{Pairings}Drink: Remember the 6 gallons of milk I had you buy?

Song: Sweet Head -- David BowieActivity: Curlin up by the fire.

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P.S. I'm starting to think that my blog is getting a little stale. I'd love to hear you thoughts/ideas of things I could do to spice it up!

20 comments:

I'm a big fan of your blog and I don't think it's stale at all, but if you want to explore some new stuff, I'd suggest you keep posting videos and/or music. I think it could be a fun way to tie in the cookie to your life and pop culture in general. I thought the video on this post was perfect!

These cookies are super intense and I've only made them once (mostly cause Im not that big on marshmallows) but they're really fun as cookies to make with some friends over. Also fun to make sugar cookies, esp if your friends are good at art and can make cool stuff out of frosting (while I just make dirty jokes in frosting form haha)

WOW, I'm so happy that I just happened to stumble across this! It looks awesome, and I LOVED reading your musings on your future! I just started college, but this summer I accidentally started up a small baking business where I sell cookies to a cafe near my house...and now half my family is like, why is she still going to college??haha but I'm going to continue with college because I didn't go through high school for nothing!! Plus, I'd like to have that nutrition degree and dietitian certification (i know, i know...the hypocrisy of it all =p)

Opening a baking business is REALLY hard, even on the small scale that I've done it (really small scale) but I think it's totally worth it if you're like the girl in stranger than fiction. Because then it is just immensely satisfying.

ANYWAYS sorry for the long comment! If you wanna see a bit more about my business you can check out my blog's about me section.Continue baking!! Man I have to make these soooooooon....

can I decorate your confections/wrap them up in ribbons and such at your at your future bakery? Every time I sit at a cafe eating a stale, oily excuse for a peanut butter cookie, I always think to myself how much better you would be able to pull something like that off. I'm telling you, it's business plan 2000great12. (does this make sense? it's like 200gr8, but I can't think of a celebratory word that rhymes with twleve {referring to the year of graduation, if all goes according to plan}, so this is what I came up with...yeaaaaah)

Also: these look AMAZING. If I send you a SASB (self addressed stamped box!! or maybe bucket would be more appropriate. Barrel?) will you overfill it with fresh cookies and send it back. Okaythankssomuch!

Your blog stale? No! It's fresh. Now I understand why you have an artistic quality to your photos. They are always so inviting/tempting.I bought this book a few months ago, and have only made one recipe. It seems my life is so busy that I can dinner on the table, but not much baking. You inspire me. I am lovin' your honest evaluation of which cookie to make-- this one is on the list. As for your musings and dream-- go for it!

Now What's All This About?

Ok so I had this great idea back in February 2009 to bake all the recipes in the Martha Stewart Cookie Cookbook, and guess what--I FAILED!

I will make every recipe, all 175 of them, before I graduate.

I will make more recipes, maybe all of them, but now I live a life of leisure where I am not so hard on myself. Ya know, I'm really into the c'est-la-vie-live-and-let-live-YOLO-hang-in-there-one-day-at-a-time-started-from-the-bottom-now-we-here lifestyle now. So we'll see where this goes.

Oh, and yes I started this blog before that movie Julie & Julia came out, so don't try and be a smart-ass.

I'm very bad at responding to comments (read: I don't respond to comments at all), so if you have a question, or want to just strike up a conversation about anything at all (new recipes? wood carving? wiffle ball?) just shoot me an email: everylastcookie@gmail.com